Historic Rugby

General Site Information

General Site Information
History of Rugby
Historic Rugby Today
Future of Historic Rugby
The (Re)Colonization of Rugby, Tennessee
Rugby's Mission Statement
The Next Big Challenge
Location
Calendar
Local Attractions
Admission
Authors of the Rugby Home Page

Historic Rugby was founded in 1880 by noted English author/social reformer Thomas Hughes. He intended it to be a coopertive, class-free, agricultural community for younger sons of English gentry and all others interested in starting life anew in America.
Today's Rugby preserves its unique identity in a rugged river gorge setting. Twenty of its original Victorian buildings still stand. Several miles of trails in use since Rugby's founding take visitors to the Gentlemen's Swimming Hole and the Meeting of the Waters on the Clear Fork & White Oak Rivers. Nearby this rural village, state parks and the Big South Fork National Park offer rafting, hiking, horseback riding, camping and other outdoor activities.

Rugby's restored Schoolhouse Visitor Centre takes visitors through a century of Rugby history with richly-detailed interpretive exhibits. Laurel Dale Cemetery, where many early residents are buried, adds to the historic experience. A special Cemetery tour began in 1997.

Site Admission includes daily guided walking tours to the Thomas Hughes Free Public Library and Hughe's home, Kingston Lisle. Christ Church Episcopal is included at no extra charge. Tours begin at the Schoolhouse/Visitor Centre and include orientation exhibits, an award winning documentary and a detailed map of Rugby with historical information about the colony.

The Reconstructed Rugby Commissary features a unique line of locally handmade crafts, British Isles food products and a wide assortment of Rugby history and Victorian period books for all ages.

The Harrow Road Cafe conforms with Rugby's historic architecture and seats up to 80, in two wood-beamed dining rooms. The menu features Cumberland Plateau home cooking and British Isles Specialties.

Year-round Overnight Lodging is available in restored 6-bedroom Newbury House Bed & Breakfast and 3-bedroom Pioneer Cottage, both built in 1880.

Historic Rugby Hosts three major public events each year.

Historic Rugby caters to adult and school groups of all types and sizes, offering reduced tour rates, meal and lodging prices and special interpretive programs to fit the group's needs. The Rugby Community Room is available for receptions, meetings corporate retreats and programs.

Click Here to Find out about the Upcoming Events At Rugby!!

Some 70,000 people visited Rugby during 1997 from all 50 states and 30 foreign countries.

CALL HISTORIC RUGBY at (423)628-2441
FOR INFORMATION AND LODGING RESERVATIONS

Come Visit One of The South's Most Interesting And Unspoiled Historic Places